Related links

Industry News

BSA settles out of court for £10,000 with London-based Archetype Associates

Dan RaywoodSeptember 03 2009

BSA settles out of court for £10,000 with London-based company allegedly caught with underlicensed software

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has settled out of court with a company allegedly caught with under-licensed software on seven computers.

The BSA has announced it has reached a £10,000 settlement with London-based Archetype Associates after it was allegedly caught with under-licensed copies of Adobe Photoshop and Autodesk AutoCAD on seven computers.

This case follows the BSA's two-month campaign in the capital to raise awareness of the risks of software piracy and combat unlicensed software use in London, after recent IDC research revealed local businesses are using illegal software worth £149 million each year.

One in five pieces of software in the capital is being used illegally and this represents a significant threat to London's business environment. The BSA encourages businesses to purchase software from reputable sources and demonstrate best-practice software management in order to avoid a similar situation to that of Archetype Associates.

Alyna Cope, spokesperson for BSA's UK country committee, said: “Software piracy is a major problem in London. Following our recent campaign, enforcement action will be taken against non-compliant businesses. We want to promote the long-tem value of software, reducing the risk of legal action and financial repercussions to businesses further down the line.”